Sunset High is a 12-novel series for girls, created by Linda A. Cooney and written by Cooney and several ghostwriters, that focuses on life at a fictitious high school in Los Angeles. The series was published in the 1980s by Fawcett Publications under its Girls Only banner.
Story and setting
The story is set at fictitious Sunset High School in Beverly Hills, California. Sunset High is considered one of the premier high schools in Beverly Hills and many of the students who attend there are the offspring of those who work in the entertainment industry, one of the biggest employers in Los Angeles and its claim to fame.
A few of the students (Monica Miller for example) are stars themselves. Some kids, though, are from more conventional and ordinary families. One of the students, Josh Ross, attends Sunset due to his mom working at the school as the school nurse (His family lived in nearby Culver City, California).
The story begins when Kristin Sullivan, a Junior who is from St. Cloud, Minnesota with her parents, Garth and Lila Sullivan and her younger brother, Shawn, arrives at Sunset High. Her father, a cardiologist, has moved to Los Angeles because of his job.
They move into a house on swanky Rexford Drive in Beverly Hills, and Kristin begins school at Sunset High. Since she has come in the middle of the last half of the school year, she is not able to get into any activities, but she grows to like her school and she makes new friends.
When she becomes a senior, however, all of that changes. She gets very involved in school and its activities, most notably Modern Dance, which was as close to cheerleading as she can come to, and also becomes more involved with her friends.
Although her parents have almost split up a couple of times; her having to contend with the book series' main villain, Nadia Lawrence, and losing her first boyfriend to distance, Kristin perseveres. Making a memorable visit in the earlier books is her best friend, Amy Parker, from St. Cloud, who cannot help but be swept away by the glamour and energy of Los Angeles. She also manages to get on with Kristin's new friends.
Kristin Sullivan. A newcomer to Sunset High from Minnesota, due to her cardiologist father relocating for job reasons, she at first did not think she would fit in, but eventually she does, making friends and growing comfortable with California. She is often nicknamed "Legs" from her days in Minnesota (and also due to her liking for modern dance), although she is sometimes called "K". Her closest friends are Amy Parker, her old friend from Minnesota who made a visit to Beverly Hills; Monica Miller, her first real friend in Beverly Hills; JT Gantner and Elena Santiago. She has two boyfriends during the series run, senior Grady Larkin (whom she loses when he attends college at Yale), and then Denis Daniels, who is closer to her age. She becomes involved in Modern Dance, and often works with her Modern Dance instructor, Mrs. Bornstein, who was unofficially nicknamed, La Bornstein.
Monica Miller. A former child actress (she once starred on the fictitious TV show, The Twain Family) who is pushed extremely hard to get back into the business, is Kristin's best friend and closest confidante. Although, their relationship was tested a couple of times, they remained close all the way through the book series. At one point, Monica was kidnapped by a stalker who destroyed Nadia Lawrence's car, which caused the latter to faint. Monica's main conflict was with her pushy mother, who is also her agent; she is eternally pushing her daughter to get back into show business; which makes Monica angry because all she wants to be is just a normal high school student. She and Kristin appeared in a movie together.
Grady Larkin. A senior who falls in love with Kristin, but their relationship eventually lapses with long distance. (He later attends college at Yale). His specialty is photography and media, and works with the Media teacher, Ms. Duke.
Nadia Lawrence. Often considered the antagonist of the series, Nadia is the spoiled and haughty daughter of a highly successful movie producer, who often uses people and her position to get exactly what she wants. She is considered the social queen of Sunset High. Her tendency to manipulate people is because of her parents who are always fighting and are usually on the verge of divorce. She idolizes her father; and does not much like her often alcoholic mother. She and Denis Daniels despise one another, from a date that went horribly wrong, and she has used his drug addiction as a weapon against him. This highly selfish nature and her constant manipulations lose her several friends, including J.T. Gantner, Mollie Traister, and most especially Glennie Taryton. Above all, she is extremely unfriendly toward Kristin and her circle of friends; and in the first book, actually bullied her. Her social triumph of attending the Academy Awards was marred when Denis Daniels, as a plan to get even with Nadia for her constant insults towards him (and in a sense to help his new friend, Kristin), opens the swim-gym floor and she falls into the pool (a la It's a Wonderful Life). The closest thing she has to a boyfriend is arrogant guitarist, Max Lauris, who was just as conniving and selfish as she was. However, at the end, Max drops her after one of their schemes backfire, and she is left alone and friendless.
Mindy Lockwood and Lisa White. Two fashionable girls who are friends with Nadia Lawrence. Mindy Lockwood's father is a studio executive; Lisa White's mother is a clothing designer. Both tended to fawn over Nadia and are her closest friends. They are also friends with Glennie, but are closer to Nadia.
Marilyn Wells. A fashionable girl whose father owns a recording company. Marilyn is closer to Glennie than to Nadia, and is not as spiteful as her other friends, Lisa and Mindy are. In contrast to how Lisa, Mindy and Nadia are, Marilyn is much nicer to Kristin as well, giving her much needed help with a classmate who gets sick at Kristin's first Beverly Hills party. Marilyn is a relatively minor character.
Glennie Taryton. The richest girl at Sunset High. Her money comes from oil (and not from the entertainment industry) and she is more tolerant and honest than Nadia Lawrence tended to be. She can get snobby when angered, but that is only on rare occasions. She is the most powerful student at Sunset, and she is often envied by Nadia. At one time, Nadia and Glennie were best friends, but the friendship ended when she betrayed Glennie with Max Lauris' help (Max had stolen one of Glennie's tests with Nadia's help). Although she does not often interact with Kristin and her friends, she is not as nasty towards them as Nadia seems to be. Her money comes into play to help her classmates out of tight spots, and she is a very vocal supporter of her class; a concept that the selfish Nadia would have sneered at.
Eddie Santiago. Eddie, a senior, is Grady's best friend, known for his highly zany sense of humor and his highly unorthodox fashion sense. His sense of humor leads him to a chance to do some stand-up comedy. His girlfriend is Holly Harris, who was the target of vicious rumors spread by the vindictive Nadia, until she disproved them herself. He is the older brother of Kristin's friend, Elena.
Elena Santiago. Elena, an exercise instructor at the Beverly Hills Fitness Center, is Eddie's younger sister; one of Kristin's close friends, and JT's new best friend. Elena is perhaps Nadia Lawrence's arch-enemy; despising her for the shabby way she treats JT. She is often nicknamed Lainie. Elena's boyfriend is her co-worker at the Beverly Hills Fitness Center, David Michaels, who could be somewhat egotistical, but he was also a very loyal friend.
Janet Terry "JT" Gantner. JT is a chubby and insecure girl who is Nadia's often willing slave and doormat until she finally gets brave and told her selfish ex-friend off, and became one of Kristin's close friends. She is always recognized by the long earring she wears in her left ear, which she often tugs on. Her family runs a successful cookie corporation (similar to Mrs. Fields Cookies). She later slims down and gains some needed self-esteem with the help of her new best friend, Elena Santiago. At first, she has a crush on Denis Daniels, but later grows out of it. In her senior year, she gains a boy friend, Will Patton, who is the Senior class president; whilst JT herself is the class Vice president/Events Coordinator. She gains some self-confidence when she sometimes takes charge in some of the meetings.
Denis Daniels. The son of a highly successful television actress, Deann Daniels, and an equally powerful studio executive, is the rebel of Sunset High. However, despite his often rebellious nature, he shows that he is sensitive and compassionate, making him one of the more sympathetic characters in the story. He has a running feud with Nadia Lawrence, who thinks of him as nothing but a drug addict. (Their feud stems from a date that went horribly wrong) He is close friends with JT Gantner, who harbors a crush on him for a long time, until she becomes involved with her boyfriend Will. He returns to Sunset High after a summer of drying out at a rehab center in Hawaii, which he euphemistically called "Screw-up surf camp". During their senior year, Denis and Kristin become a couple, after being close friends since she moved to Beverly Hills, to her parents dismay, and are close to the end of the story. They remain a couple, and he even gains Dr. and Mrs. Sullivan's approval. Denis often helped and defended his close friends whenever they have been tormented by enemies. He dunked Nadia Lawrence in the swim-gym as revenge for her constant insulting him (and to help Kristin after Nadia bullied her); and he unplugged arrogant Max Lauris' guitar amplifier to get even with him for his attempting to upstage Liz DeSalvio during a meeting with a band manager.
Josh Ross. A reporter for the school's newspaper, The Troubadour, who, despite living in nearby Culver City, California, attends Sunset High, because his mother works as the school's nurse. His father runs a solar-power installation company. He was once Monica Miller's boyfriend and has one of the highest IQ's at Sunset High. His second girlfriend, after Monica, was Samantha Sockwell. He and Monica remain friends to the end.
Samantha Sockwell. She is the cartoonist for The Troubadour and Josh Ross's second girlfriend after Monica Miller. Despite that, she and Monica are friends. She has a bubbly and optimistic nature, and helps Josh to have some fun and not be so constantly serious.
Elizabeth "Liz" DeSalvio. The lead singer of the rock band, Junk Food. She also attends Sunset High, and is the daughter of police officers, which means she has an unusually high sense of right and wrong. She is also known for her blunt honesty. She outright hates her scheming bandmate, Max Lauris due to his insufferable arrogance and his tendency to connect with Nadia and offending those students in power, like Glennie. She shows her contempt towards Max most notably after he tries to upstage her while meeting with a band manager (she received help in this from one of her new friends, Denis Daniels). She later gains a boyfriend in newspaper editor, Scott Newmark. Scott really enjoys being in Liz's company (she also enjoys his company) and she also became a part of Scott's circle of friends, of whom she got along wonderfully with.
Scott Newmark. The editor of the Sunset High school newspaper, The Troubadour, as well as the Senior class spirit coordinator; and something of a class clown. His first relationship with sensitive poet, Mollie Traister, fizzled into a friendship, then he found new romance with Junk Food's dynamic lead singer, Liz DeSalvio, after he and his friends help her stop her arrogant bandmate, Max Lauris, from stealing the show and undermining the band.
Mollie Traister. Scott's first girlfriend, and somewhat sparring partner. She is a budding writer and is as sensitive and quiet as Scott was outspoken and spirited. Her parents exposed her to culture at a very young age. Her dad was a literature professor at UCLA; while her mother was a cellist for the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. She later becomes a casualty of Nadia and her conniving nature when she purposefully breaks a promise to Mollie about showing her writing to her father. She is the Senior class secretary.
Max Lauris. A guitarist with the rock band, Junk Food, who is also ambitious and extremely arrogant. He is often allied with Nadia Lawrence in many of her schemes (one of said schemes destroyed the friendship between Nadia and Glennie Taryton). However, their partnership as well as their relationship disintegrates after his bandmate (and arch-enemy) Liz DeSalvio, gains the attention of a band manager who was interested in her talent. Max (who had attempted to upstage his bandmates with no concern for anyone but himself) blamed Nadia for the failure of the plan and dropped her, leaving the social queen of Sunset High quite alone and friendless.
John Hamill. Sunset High's star tennis player who also has an arrogant streak. In the first book, he too falls in the Swim-Gym swimming pool at the same time Nadia falls in. He disappeared later on from the books, and is forgotten.
David Michaels. An exercise instructor at the Beverly Hills fitness center and the boyfriend of Elena Santiago. Although a bit brash and egocentric, David is immensely loyal to Elena and is truly caring towards his friends.
Will Patton. The president of the Senior class and the new boyfriend of JT Gantner. He truly loves JT and she loves him. They are one of the most stable couples at Sunset High.
Most of the stories deal with the usual romance, or the breakups therein; the normal every day school lives of the students, (made all the more tougher, since many of them grew up in the glare of the camera's all-seeing eye) and the excitement of living and being in one of the most vibrant and actively cultural cities in the nation.
In the first book, "Getting Experienced", Nadia experiences the utter joy of going to the Academy Awards (since her father was up for an award). Other events which are pertinent to and/or synonymous with the City of Los Angeles and the surrounding area, (The Rose Bowl and the Rose Parade in Pasadena; the Grunion run, et al.) also played major parts in the stories. One of the stories also focused on a renaissance faire outside of Los Angeles.
However, chief focus is mainly on the tight knit circle of friends that Kristin gains, as she becomes more of a part of the Sunset High family, most notably Monica, JT, Denis; Elena; Eddie; Josh; Scott; Will; Liz and the others in their large and welcoming crowd.
Book titles and some plot summaries
1 Getting Experienced Kristin Sullivan moves to Los Angeles, due to her father's new job and begins school at Sunset High gaining a new best friend, Monica Miller; a boyfriend named Grady Larkin; and Nadia Lawrence, a powerful girl at Sunset High who hates Kristin, attends the Academy Awards.
2 A Chance to Make it Monica and Kristin's friendship is very briefly strained over a guy (which was short-lived), and Kristin throws her first party in California and gaining help for a sick classmate with the aid of popular girl, Marilyn Wells.
3 Temptations Eddie Santiago dates a girl named Holly Harris despite Nadia's nasty and vindictive rumors.
4 Over the Edge Kristin and Denis Daniels bond during a troublesome time for her parents, to the envy of JT Gantner.
5 Swept Away Amy Parker visits her best friend, Kristin in Los Angeles, and meets Kristin's new friends and she gets along well with them all; and JT finally severs ties with Nadia once and for all, joining Kristin and her circle of friends.
6 Working it Out Elena Santiago meets her boyfriend, the brash but loyal David Michaels, and she helps the newly free JT become a new person inside and out.
7 Just Friends JT returns to school, with a new set of friends and a new boyfriend named Will Patton; and the Sunset High gang begin their Senior Year; also during a Catalina trip, where the class was stranded, wealthy Glennie Taryton uses her family's connections to help them get back to Los Angeles.
8 Perfect Strangers The mismatched Scott Newmark and Mollie Traister become a couple and vindictive Nadia meets Max Lauris, who steals one of Glennie's midterm tests, with Nadia's help.
9 No Secrets Josh Ross breaks up with Monica Miller and starts to date Samantha Sockwell, whom Monica befriends.
10 Second Chances It's the Christmas season and malaise sets into Will and JT's relationship.
11 Worlds Apart Kristin and Denis begin to date, despite her parents stringent reservations.
12 Sweet Revenge Scott Newmark and musician Liz DeSalvio become a new couple and they also stop the scheming of Max and Nadia, leaving the latter with no friends and totally rejected.
